The Queering of the American Child

A honest review from a fan

It’s been a few months since I finished The Queering of the American Child and I’ve been meaning to give it a proper review.  I have been struggling with writing one.  Here goes.

When the book first launched, I was excited.  I am both a fan and acquaintances with both Logan and James, as least as much as you can be via twitter.  I bought two copies: one for me, and one for my mom of course.  We were going to read the book together and talk about it.  Having a mom-son book club is something we do to stay connected. 

When the books arrived, I dove right in. From there things got weird.  My excitement dropped.  I found it a challenge to read through. 

It is a very well-done book.  It is insightful, very well researched and cited, and very digestible.  Yet for me I struggled.  I do tend to read books deeply and contemplate every word.  And that made this book especially hard.  I forced myself through. 

My mom on the other hand breezed through the book.  She cruised through the book, and by the time I finished it, I knew why.  It was because the book wasn’t for me.  It was for people like my mom. 

See, I am a student of the literature.  I have been posting on Twitter/X about Queer Theory for a while now.  I have pointed towards areas of study for my followers and have been critical the whole time.  I know the subject matter.  Logan and James did introduce me to some new names to research, but they didn’t introduce me to new concepts.  That’s why I could appreciate the book, its quality in prose and content, yet find myself not engaged with the material. 

I’ll be blunt: this book is not for the researcher.  This book is for the semi-tuned-in normie.  My mom loved the book.  It clarified so many things in her mind and helped her have the confidence and words to back up what she suspected was going on. 

Not too long ago we both had the chance to chat with James.  It was at an event in Edmonton.  We got our books signed.  I confessed to James that I struggled to finish the book because the material was far from novel to me.  My mom, on the other hand, thanked him because he and Logan made the material so accessible to her.  James, being a class act, took both our reviews in stride, signed both our books, and gave my mom a great big hug.

If you are already deep into the literature, this book is likely not for you.  You should read it anyways.  If you are new to the topic, it is a Must-Read. You should buy a copy. You should also get a copy for a friend/relative who is starting to tune in.  It is the best bridge between the normie world and the researched world.

It will be worth it. 

Jeff is the founder of correspondenceTheory and posts under @unmitigatedAss on X/Twitter.  He is an irreverent fellow who likes jokes and quality people.